Month: March 2021

The first weekend of the NCAA Tournament produced a ton of upsets on the men’s side and some thrillers on the women’s side, but only one buzzer-beater across the two tournaments, that coming from Jordan Nixon of Texas A&M to push the Aggies to the Sweet 16.

The upsets were fun, but without the thrilling last second moments, it felt like this March was a bit lacking in the Madness department without a number of buzzer beaters. Luckily, the Division II tournament was ready to step up, as West Texas A&M and Lincoln Memorial put on a thriller in Evansville that gave us an absolutely incredible finish, as the Buffaloes stunned the Railsplitters with a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Zach Toussaint on a tip rebound to reach the title game on Saturday.

It is the wild, chaotic scene that March is best known for and the dogpile celebration from the Buffaloes, next to the painful dejection of Lincoln Memorial, provided the perfect “thrill of victory, agony of defeat” moment. For West Texas A&M, they will move on to face Northesat Missouri State in their quest for a first-ever national championship on Saturday at 12 p.m. ET on CBS, while the Railsplitters will have a tough journey back home after a gutting loss.

The streaming services went into high gear last week with Zack Snyder’s Justice League on HBO Max and The Falcon and the Winter Solder‘s debut episode on Disney+. The latter show continues on Disney+, and Amazon Prime is adding more superpowered flavor this week with Invincible, an adaptation of the comic by The Walking Dead creator Robert Kirkman. The newest competition from other streaming services is fierce, though. Netflix and Hulu are throwing out some impressive batches of fresh content, and for that reason, we’re calling it a tie between those two services since we must make a call on which service has the best options in any given week.

Look, Netflix has the new Eric Andre movie, along with a Sherlock Holmes-tangental series for the younger generation, as well as a new documentary, a show about a Dragon King, and more. Whereas Hulu’s got the latest batch of Solar Opposite episodes, more of Into The Dark, and some sweet next-day FX on Hulu options. Yet we won’t forget about Disney+, which has another episode of Sam and Bucky, along with the Mighty Ducks reboot series and a shiny Pixar offering. Apple TV+ and Discovery+ have some new entertainment options, and Q: Into the Storm is still there for the taking on HBO Max if you haven’t watched already. In other words, there is so much content this weekend to enjoy, and here’s the lowdown.

Netflix

Bad Trip (Netflix film) — This film stars Eric Andre and Lil Rel Howery being totally outrageous alongside Tiffany Haddish and Michaela Conlin. Andre produced and helped write, so you know you’re in for a treat, and this hidden-camera comedy hails from one of the dudes who brought you Jackass and Bad Grandpa. Get ready for cross-country pranks on a road trip on unsuspecting audiences who are not prepared for the mayhem. Oh, and Haddish dangles Andre off a rooftop, which sounds like a real good time.

The Irregulars (Netflix series) — This series is set in 19th century London, where Dr. Watson and the elusive Sherlock Holmes enlist a group of misfits to solve supernatural crimes. Watson is said to be sinister in this series, and Holmes is simply mysterious, so this group is probably on their own to fight a dark power to save humanity, both in London and around the globe.

DOTA: Dragon’s Blood (Netflix series) — A renowned Dragon Knight (Davion) ends up over his head in this sweeping fantasy series about how he strives to wipe the world of scourge. He ends up running into both a dragon and a princess (who’s doing duty on her own mission) while also finding himself unable to extricate himself from situations that he never would have thought possible.

Seaspiracy (Netflix film) — This documentary (from the co-creator of Cowspiracy) hopes to illuminate how human behavior inflicts alarming and widespread harm upon the seas. From pollution caused by fishing gear and plastics to all of the damage caused by fishing itself (both illegal and otherwise), humans are taking a toll on the planet that could jeopardize its future (and mankind’s future as well).

Nailed It! Season 5 — (Netflix series) The Emmy-nominated series is back with homemakers pairing up to compete for $10,000 prizes by creating edible masterpieces. Some of these delicious treats are inspired by Greek mythology, and some are simply family recipes from Grandma. All are guaranteed to give you the munchies.

Hulu

Solar Opposites: Season 2 (Hulu series) — Rick & Morty guys Justin Roiland and Mike McMahan are back with their four aliens who’ve crash landed and set up camp in American suburbia. Is life full of pollution and consumerism or wonderful diversions like TV and junk food? Maybe both, and expect this season to be more “opposite” than the last round and hopefully, bigger and funnier, too.

Into the Dark: Blood Moon (Hulu anthology series) — A mother and her young son look for a fresh start in a small desert town, but of course, they find no relief. In fact, they find the opposite, and probing locals lead Esme to valiantly protect her son and dodge a terrifying secret before the next full moon brings… something.

Mayans M.C.: Season 3 episode (FX on Hulu) — This biker drama’s kicking into its darker third gear (three episodes of Season 3 are now available to stream) with the club all wrestling with various personal and professional demons. This week, a very bearded Bishop decides to put EZ’s plan into fruition.

Snowfall: Season 4 episode (FX on Hulu) — The John Singleton-co-created series sees Franklin feeling consequences of his decisions while Teddy is reeling, Irene is in ultimatum mode, and Jerome is expanding the business with Louie.

Disney+

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier (Disney+ series) — After WandaVision proved that Marvel Studios and Kevin Feige could still bring their A+ game, even on the small screen, Sam Wilson and Bucky Barnes are here for the buddy action-comedy that fans have dreamed of. Well, they hadn’t buddied up yet as of last week, so we’re still waiting for that to happen. And we’re waiting for Sharon Carter to make an entrance, all while the so-called “New Cap” question lingers in the forefront.

The Mighty Ducks: Game Changers (Disney+ series) — Emilio Estevez is back in this new-generation revival of the classic films. Co-starring Lauren Graham and Brady Noon, the Mighty Ducks junior hockey team is now a powerhouse in its division, and it’s brutal in selecting who can make the cut. Estevez is still the Ducks’ original coach, and he’s helping a new team of underdogs after the New Ducks boot a 12-year-old boy named Evan. Rude!

Inside Pixar: Foundations (Pixar docuseries on Disney+) — The third batch of Inside Pixar episodes kicks off this weekend with the first “Foundations” installment, which aims to give us a peek into the creative minds of this studio. They’ll use metaphors and examples to try and explain their freaking complex process of how their intricately visual movies are made.

Amazon Prime

Invincible (Amazon Prime series) — This animated romp will please both fans of The Boys and The Walking Dead, and the latter reference has everything to do with the source material penned by Robert Kirkman. Invincible is an ultraviolent deconstruction of the superhero, and yes, we’ve seen plenty of dismantling already, but this story has heart. Stephen Yeun makes a fantastic leading man here, and the cast (J.K. Simmons, Sandra Oh, Seth Rogen, Walton Goggins, Jason Mantzoukas, Zazie Beetz, Zachary Quinto, Mark Hamill, and several TWD names) is ridiculously good.

La Templanza (The Vineyard) (Amazon Prime series) — This new Spanish romantic drama series, which is based upon the historical fiction novel by Maria Dueñas, La Templanza, is set in the 19th century. The 10-part story revolves around two strangers with crossed destinies and moves through several settings, including Mexico, London, Cuba, and Spain.

Apple TV+

The Oprah Conversation (Apple TV+ series) — Amanda Gorman, the youngest poet laureate in U.S. history and who spoke at the Biden inauguration, will help the host celebrate legendary literary heroes and illuminate her mother and other women who have touched her life. Gorman’s one of the most influential voices of young America today, and she’ll share her hopes for the future, not only for herself but for humanity and our nation.

Calls (Apple TV+ series) — Fede Alvarez (Don’t Breathe, Evil Dead) aims to present an immersive TV experience with nine short-form stories based upon dark mysteries that unfold through unconnected phone conversations that shatter the lives of these characters. The season features Lily Collins, Rosario Dawson, Pedro Pascal, and Aubrey Plaza, so get ready for the spine-chilling suspense to begin.

Discovery+

Ghost Adventures (Discovery+ series) — Discovery is making all 24 seasons of this show available for the streaming, and the show’s continued production during the pandemic. Hop aboard with Zak Bagans, Aaron Goodwin, Billy Tolley, and Jay Wasley for their “lockdown” investigations as they travel the country to talk with locals, eyewitnesses, and experts to nail down any particular site’s haunted history with the help of various gadgets.

Cocktails and Tall Tales With Ina Garten and Melissa McCarthy (Discovery+ special) — The Barefoot Contessa herself joins forces with the award-winning actress to get boozy together (with whiskey sours) during a double-date of sorts when their husbands enter the picture. The women seem like BFFs in the making and were already big fans of each other before meeting for this special while continents apart.

HBO Max

Q: Into the Storm (HBO Max limited series) — You’ve heard all of those wild QAnon conspiracy theories, and this weekend, thia six-part documentary series begins to chronicle the movement’s evolution. Filmmaker Cullen Hoback drives into the rabbit hole to reveal how the mysterious “Q” wields conspiracies as information warfare to manipulate thinking and influence American culture. In the end, this series will touch upon the Internet’s darkest corners and explore how “unfettered free speech” (according to the synopsis) can go to dangerous places.

Last Week Tonight (HBO Series, Sunday On HBO Max) — Everyone’s favorite sarcastic and satiric late-night host finally returned a few weeks ago (after blowing up 2020 and getting weird with sweet Adam Driver), and not a moment too soon.

After making fans wait more than four years for a new album, Justin Bieber has delivered two full-length efforts in just thirteen months. It began with last February Changes which was followed up by this month’s Justice. While the singer has given fans more than enough music to indulge in for the time being, he isn’t quite done in the release department. Bieber updated Justice with six new songs for the album’s Triple Chucks Deluxe reissue. One of the new additions is “There She Go” with Lil Uzi Vert, a track that Bieber described as record that will “probably be huge on TikTok because it kind of has that feel to it,” in an interview with Vogue.

The deluxe album comes after Bieber made his long-awaited “Red Eye” single available for purchase online. The updated project also finds guest appearances from DaBaby, Quavo, Jaden, and Tori Kelly. Fans had been waiting for an official version of the track since its debut in the singer’s Seasons documentary. He also took over an eerie forest for a performance of “Hold On” which came after he reportedly visited a Los Angeles prison with his pastor to preach about Christianity.

During a recent appearance on DJ Khaled’s The First One podcast, Bieber spoke about the meaning behind his Justice album. “This album is meant to encourage people,” he said. “In the mission statement for the album I talked about how music is such a great way to connect people and bring them together, remind them they are not alone provide that safe space, comforting music to move and groove.” On the show, he also revealed Drake as one of the artists in his list of top five rappers.

You can listen to “There She Go” here.

Justice (Triple Chucks Deluxe) is out now via Def Jam. Get it here.

Lil Uzi Vert is a Warner Music artist. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Kenny Mason is undoubtedly one of the more impressive rappers to find their footing in the genre over the past year. The Atlanta native gained increased attention as a result of his attention-grabbing Angelic Hoodrat album. The project captured his impressive lyricism and versatility as an up and coming act, but if you missed out on the project, Mason is giving you another chance to get onboard with the upcoming release of his Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut deluxe album. However, before that arrives, the rapper returns with his latest single, “Play Ball.” Mason takes a big step into the rock lane on the new track as he lays some vocals over the electric guitar-heavy production.

The new track is the third single Mason as released since dropping Angelic Hoodrat last year. It joins “Pups” and “Partments” as songs that will be housed on the upcoming Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut deluxe which arrives on April 16. Complex revealed that the project also boasts features from Freddie Gibbs, Ambar Lucid, and Angel White. Outside of his Angelic Hoodrat album, Mason also found himself besides JID and IDK on DJ Scheme’s “Cereal” track.

Listen to “Play Ball” in the video above.

Angelic Hoodrat: Supercut is out 4/16.

Some artists covered here are Warner Music artists. Uproxx is an independent subsidiary of Warner Music Group.

Next month, Taylor Swift will release her first re-recorded album, Fearless (Taylor’s Version). While fan’s may have only expected new recordings of the songs from the singer’s sophomore album, the tracklist for the upcoming project revealed six new additions, each dubbed with “From The Vault” in its title. Swift shared one of the songs from the vault, “You All Over Me” with Maren Morris, who delivers background vocals on the song. The new track also comes with production from Folklore and Evermore collaborator Aaron Dessner.

In a post on Instagram, which announced the “You All Over Me” track, Swift spoke about the “From The Vault” songs. “One thing I’ve been loving about these From The Vault songs is that they’ve never been heard, so I can experiment, play, and even include some of my favorite artists,” she said. “You All Over Me” is the second single Swift shared ahead of the release of Fearless (Taylor’s Version). The first was “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” which she dropped last month. She’s also teased a new recording of 1989‘s “Wildest Dreams” through a trailer for Spirit Untamed.

The new song comes after Swift took home a Grammy award for Album Of The Year thanks to Folklore, which was one of the best-selling albums of 2020.

You can listen to “You All Over Me” above.

Lil Nas X has just brought his fans one step closer to the release of currently untitled debut album. While it’s unknown how many steps remain until the projects arrives, fans can numb the wait by indulging in Lil Nas’ new song and video for “Montero (Call Me By Your Name).” The track is one that the singer has spent nearly nine months promoting on social media. Originally teased as “Call Me By Your Name,” it appeared in numerous TikTok videos that Lil Nas has shared including one that mocked Tekashi 69 for making a tasteless gay joke against him. Paired with a matching music video, Lil Nas brings viewers to his fictional “Montero” world where he gets captured by foreign creatures. He later pole dances down to a fiery pit of hell to take over a throne that awaits him.

While the wait for his upcoming album has certainly been a lengthy one, considering that his record-smashing breakout single, “Old Town Road” was released at the end of 2018, Lil Nas began the year by sharing when his supporters could expect his debut project. In a tweet that came in response to a frustrated fan, he revealed that the project would arrive at some point in the middle of the year. This announcement came after he confirmed the album was complete and even shared a portion of its tracklist which included unreleased songs like “One Of Me,” “Don’t Want It,” and “Titanic.”

Watch the “Montero (Call Me By Your Name)” video above.

At the very least, give Eric André credit for trying something new. Known mainly for his surreal anti-talk show The Eric André Show on Adult Swim, which is sort of like Tom Green’s old MTV show on mescaline, André’s willingness to push boundaries seems to be his defining characteristic. This time around, André’s Bad Trip co-star Lil Rel Howery (The Carmichael Show, Rel) doesn’t seem to have entirely bought into this concept. Which would be devastating to most projects but here just seems kind of relatable. Can you blame Howery for not wanting to torture random bystanders?

So what is the concept? In short, imagine Dumb and Dumber shot guerrilla-style, where none of the ancillary characters know that they’re being filmed for a movie. A stock plot, with genuine reactions. It’s a wild concept, that offers both big laughs and big cringe in almost equal measure. I don’t know that I’ve ever seen a film vacillate so wildly between borderline unwatchable and irresistibly watchable.

André and Howery play Chris and Bud, slacker buddies working demeaning jobs who dream of something bigger. They perform the requisite exposition of this concept in public spaces, like a city bus and the local mall, while the locals rightly gape open-mouthed, wondering just why this scripted playtime has invaded their reality. It turns into a buddy road movie when “Chris” sees his high school crush, Maria Li, played by Michaela Conlin, show up at his Jamba Juice-type job. André and Li perform this rendezvous, again, before an audience of dumbfounded juice bar patrons. Supposedly distracted by his crush, André puts his “hand” into a spinning blender blade, shooting a geyser of fake blood all over the juice shop.

The reason Bad Trip waffles so drastically between painful and thrilling is that it basically combines execrable Improv Everywhere-style stunts, in which performers assault people just trying to live their lives with hokey shtick, and Borat-style stunts, in which the performer is a wild card clown making a surreal spectacle of themselves in front of those same normal people — often playing on their prejudices and expectations of what that clown is meant to represent in the process (Borat was using people’s assumptions about the “backward former Eastern Bloc” to explore their own cultural blindspots and stock prejudices). Which is to say, Bad Trip is great when it’s staging stunts. It’s awful and kind of gross when it’s staging shtick. Those poor people. Though I suppose it is some kind of meta-commentary on the boundaries between movie reality and reality-reality.

For their Dumb and Dumber-style road trip to track down Maria at her art gallery in New York, Chris and Bud “borrow” a car from Bud’s ex-con sister, Trina, played by Tiffany Haddish in cornrows and fake lady mustache. Trina is probably Bad Trip‘s most successful Borat-style character, everyone’s nightmare of a “ghetto thug” come to life, who shakes down her brother for cash at his iPhone repair store and drives a hot pink hoopty with “BAD BITCH” written in giant script on the back window.

André’s biggest asset is his complete lack of shame and willingness to make an utter fool out of himself in front of virtually any audience, having his clothes ripped off by a rigged car wash vacuum and singing musical theater numbers in a mall food court. He has the soul of a stunt man, staging same-sex kisses and acting suicidal in between legitimately dangerous-looking pratfalls like the demon spawn of Steve-O and Super Dave Osborne. Eric André is basically the xanny rap Super Dave.

Yet “Chris” isn’t a very well-designed character. He’s just sort of a stock slacker in a dramedy inserted awkwardly into real life, with surrealist elements. Trina is much more clearly defined, playing on people’s assumptions about, and fear of, this profane, wild-eyed ex-con, offering not just spectacle but oddball insight. It helps that Haddish herself is also genius, with a Sacha Coen-esque facility for improvising and an uncanny ability to insert perfectly-timed, perfectly-crafted one-liners into high-risk situations. She’s either raising the stakes of a situation by adding a new complication or adding in an element of the absurd, sometimes both. She combines André’s panache with a mastery of craft. She is clearly a monumental talent.

Howery, meanwhile, a talented and versatile comedic actor, doesn’t seem to have known what he was getting himself into when he signed up for this movie. Virtually all of his lines were clearly filmed as scripted inserts into André’s unscripted guerilla ambush comedy. Again, this mostly comes off relatable. Performing a loud, expository stock comedy scene on a crowded bus, cowboy bar, or mall food court before an audience who didn’t pay to attend or ask for any of this seems like my worst nightmare too. You can practically hear him telling André off-camera, “Uh uh, I’m not doing that shit.”

But once again here, André is pushing the boundaries of scripted until it fuzzes out and seems to distort reality itself. Which isn’t necessarily funny (and is often painful) but is definitely doing an art.

Much of the comedic gold in Bad Trip (and I laughed heartily and uncontrollably at various points) comes from the bystanders themselves. The speed with which they switch from trying to help a fellow man to “get away from me motherfucker” is particularly fascinating.

Oftentimes you just have to sit through excruciatingly uncomfortable situations in order to get to that. Maybe that’s just Eric André giving us a taste of what it’s like to be Eric André, in which comedy can only be wrung from pain and discomfort, and with strenuous effort. Whatever you think of Bad Trip, and your mileage will likely vary, it’s hard to deny that Eric André is the hardest-working man in comedy.

‘Bad Trip’ hits Netflix on Friday, March 26th. Vince Mancini is on Twitter. You can access his archive of reviews here.

If you’ve ever wondered what life is like on another planet, hearing Donald Trump talk about the January 6 insurrection attempt at the US Capitol is perhaps a good place to start. Trump, who was impeached a second time by Congress and left the White House in shame after helping incite his supporters to storm the capitol in a deadly effort to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 presidential election, has claimed his supporters didn’t injure dozens of officers and break laws in his name. Rather, they were “hugging and kissing” Capitol police and security guards who risked their lives to protect members of Congress from rioters with deadly plans to undermine democracy.

Trump has made more media rounds in recent days, with surrogates touting a forthcoming social media channel from the former president. But on Thursday he appeared on Laura Ingraham’s Fox News show for a phone interview where he was asked about the Capitol attack. In the interview, Trump lamented the increased security measures at the US Capitol in the wake of the deadly attack, one that’s seen hundreds of Trump supporters tracked by the FBI and arrested for various crimes in the weeks since the attack.

Trump admitted that they shouldn’t have entered the building, but downplayed the attack and its aftermath at every turn in a statement loaded with falsehoods. Starting with the fact that Trump said there was “zero threat” to anyone in the building that was raided by his supporters and resulted in injuries and deaths both to police and those who broke in.

“It was zero threat, right from the start. They went in, they shouldn’t have done it,” Trump admitted before he made a bizarre claim about the good relationship Capitol Police and rioters had on January 6. “Some of them went in and they’re hugging and kissing the police and the guards. You know, they had great relationships. A lot of the people were waived in and they walked in and they walked out.”

Hugging and kissing strangers during a pandemic aside, the claim flies directly in the face of the deadly results of the insurrection attempt made in his name, one that could have been much more deadly if not for the actions of some officers keeping Trump supporters away from congresspeople working inside. While some footage showed officers opening barricades outside, those working inside confronted rioters, with deadly force used against one woman that was caught on video from multiple angles.

Furthermore, while five people died in the initial violence at the Capitol, two more Capitol Police officers committed suicide in the weeks afterward, citing the trauma of the incidents and debilitating injuries suffered at the hands of rioters. According to the Washington Post, 65 Washington DC police officers were injured in the January 6 attack, and more than 70 Capitol Police officers sustained injuries. Some of those injured have been added to the death toll from the incident that shook the very core of American democracy in the final weeks of Trump’s time in office, including an officer named Jeffery Smith the paper profiled in February.

In the days that followed, Erin said, her husband seemed in constant pain, unable to turn his head. He did not leave the house, even to walk their dog. He refused to talk to other people or watch television. She sometimes woke during the night to find him sitting up in bed or pacing.

“He wasn’t the same Jeff that left on the 6th. . . . I just tried to comfort him and let him know that I loved him,” she said. “I told him I’d be there if he needed anything, that no matter what, we’ll get through it. I tried to do the best I could.”

In Trump’s warped view the real victim in recent months is, of course, himself and his followers. He soon pivoted the rant to the ANTIFA movement, stating without proof of “the killing and beating up of people” that the anti-fascist movement has done in “Washington” and “other locations.”

Given all the evidence of the violence and death caused by Trump’s supporters, his comments on Thursday are a shocking reminder of just how removed from reality his view of the world has been in recent years. But given that he still thinks he won an election he soundly lost in November, then spent months trying in vain to undo, it’s not exactly a surprise that the former president has once again dismissed any sense of reality for one of his own creation.

Thursday, March 25 featured several interesting trades in the NBA world, and one such swap involved the L.A. Clippers and the Atlanta Hawks. The Clippers sent Lou Williams, along with two second-round picks and cash considerations, to Atlanta in exchange for Rajon Rondo, presumably banking on Rondo’s ability to raise his game in postseason settings as he did with the 2019-20 Lakers. While there is room for deep analysis about the motives of both teams involved, an intriguing subplot emerged late on Thursday and it involves Clippers guard Terance Mann.

Mann, who is enjoying one of the best weeks of his career on the floor, spoke to the media after the Clippers’ 98-85 road win over the San Antonio Spurs. He was presumably on the podium, via zoom, due to a 10-point, 12-rebound effort, but Mann made news when he revealed that he’s been carrying a card of Rondo with him since he was in middle school.

Mann’s earnestness is fantastic here, and it is clear that he is excited to play with Rondo, even saying he’ll have Rondo sign the card upon his arrival in Los Angeles. He also refers to the card as a “good luck charm,” and there is synergy involved with Rondo coming to town just as Mann has scored in double figures in three of the last four games.

Ironically, the two could be competing for playing time with the Clippers, as Mann’s role has increased lately and Rondo is presumably in line for prominent deployment, at least come playoff time, given the haul L.A. sent to Atlanta. Still, it is cool to see this kind of story, and Rondo can certainly impart wisdom on Mann when he arrives.

In a battle of shorthanded teams broadcast on national television, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers matched up on Thursday evening. The 76ers were without Joel Embiid and the recently traded Tony Bradley, the Lakers were without both LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Marc Gasol, but the two teams were competitive in the early going, to the point where two prominent players got into a scuffle that landed one in the locker room with an ejection.

Lakers big man Montrezl Harrell and 76ers big man Dwight Howard got into it late in the first quarter with some shoving and apparent trash talk. The end result of the first scuffle was a technical foul assed to both parties but, less than 70 seconds of game time later, the first quarter buzzer sounded and things rekindled, with Howard being ejected after walking into Harrell.

Some of the frustration could have been traced to a very impressive block by Howard on Harrell just a few moments earlier.

Still, this was an extended back-and-forth that spanned across mini-incidents. In fact, TNT’s Brian Anderson can be heard on the video above predicting that “these two are gonna be a thing the rest of the night.”

Ultimately, Howard’s ejection led the already size-challenged 76ers to play without much of an interior presence. That, and much more, was highlighted when Philadelphia head coach Doc Rivers joined TNT for a post-first quarter interview and called Howard and Harrell “clowns” for the way things transpired.

It didn’t seem as if Rivers was totally enraged, but he did acknowledge that Howard’s absence left the 76ers in a tough spot. As such, one could argue that Harrell and the Lakers got the best of things, but the two bigs provide some fireworks that perhaps added more intrigue to the proceedings of an otherwise strange game without all of the star power involved.